We strive for consistency in our list articles, also sometimes called “listicles.” To illustrate how to format a list article, we’ll look at this LA article: http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/07/05/in-the-bible-science
1. Main points are formatted with H2 (Heading 2).
The default text formatting is Paragraph. Highlight the text you wish to change, then choose from the dropdown on the toolbar.
2. Secondary headers, if used, are formatted with H3 (Heading 3).
Note that not all list articles will use secondary headers, but if you use them, make sure to choose Heading 3. The structure of a list article is as follows:
- Intro paragraph
- List items
- Images if used
- Outro paragraph
Here is a screenshot that shows what text formatting should be used for various sections.
3. The code
You’ll need to go into the code if you use images. If you don’t insert a space between the H2 header and the image, the image will be flush against the header. To do this, click on the Text tab on your WordPress post dashboard.
IMPORTANT: This should be the last thing you do before publishing. If you go back to Visual tab after inserting into the Text tab, they spaces may disappear and you could lose some formatting.
4. Final notes
- If your list has images, make sure all images are the same size or similar in size. We like to have images that are large enough to see well on desktop AND mobile, but images shouldn’t be over 950px wide.
- Always look at your list article in preview after saving changes, before publishing. Fix whatever doesn’t look right.
- Remember to manually number your list items. You may have to go into the code to do this if WordPress forces you to default to the numbered list on the toolbar.
- Stay away from all headings EXCEPT H2 and H3.
